Pipe



Y Patented '.lan. ZZ, 1924.

raarste GEORGE F. KAUF, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNGR TO ROBERTSON BROTHERS MANU- i FACTURING COMPANY, A. CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

PIPE.

Application led April 22, 1921.k Serial No. 463,468.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE F. HAUF, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of f;- Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pipes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to pipes.

It will be explained as applied to a flexi- Ie ble, sectioned-pipe such as used, for example, in the conveying of grain and fodder.

In the `conveyance and distribution of grain and fodder, for example in the filling of silos, it has ordinarily been the practice to employ, particularly inside of the silo, a sectioned cylindrical sheet metal pipe. The sections are usually tapered, the smaller end of one section fitting within the larger end of the adjacent section. The telescoping 2i) sections are secured together, preferably in such a manner as to allow sufficient movement between sections to render the .pipe as a whole more or less flexible.

Ordinarily, heretofore, the pipe sections` have been made from metal sheets of irregular outline so that,A when the sheets are rolled into a tube, the sections will possess the desired taper. Either or both the upper andlower rims of the pipe sections ordinarily have been stiffe'ned and strengthened by a bead enclosing a wirel or rod core.

The production of pipe sections as heretofore manufactured is complicated and made relatively expensive by the necessity of using sheets of other than rectangular outline and the use of wire-in the formation of the Vrim beads. The sections, which are often subject to extremely rough handling, have been found to be comparatively easily flattened orA otherwise bent out of shape and when once deformed, to be extremely difficult to reshape so that the.A sections fit properly.

V@ne of the objects of this invention is to.

provide an improved tapered pipe section.` Another object is to provide a` stronger section with a givenpthickness of sheet.

Another object is to provide a tapered section which may be formed from a rectangular sheet.

Another object is to provide a section which may be reshaped more readily, if it should become deformed.

Another object is to provide a rim bead which gives thev necessary rigidity and.

v down.

Another object is to provide an improved method of making tapered pipe sections.

@ther objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the 'drawing- Y Fig. 1 is a perspective of two interconnected pipe sections.

Fig. 2 is a plan of a sheet metal blank such as may be used in making the sections.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of a pipe section before the tapering corrugations are formed therein. l

Fig. 4 is an enlarged elevation of a fin VishedY tapering pipe section.

, Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5;5 of Fig. Ll. Y

Fig. 6 is' an enlarged cross section through the top rim bead, and

VFig. 7 is'an enlarged elevation of a portion of a pair of sections showing how the same'ar'e flexibly coupled together.

Each pipe section 1 comprises a sheet metal tube of generally circular cross section throughout its length. The side wall of the section is provided with a series of tapering corrugations 2. lThe corrugations may be formed with relatively sharp apices of substantially triangular cross sectionV as shown "in Athe drawings orrthey may be formed with 4blunter apices giving more the effect of ripples or undulations in the surface; The corrugations gradually increase in size and depth from one end of the pipe section to the other which causes the section to taper, the smallest diameter being at that y end where the corrugations are deepest.

*A `pipe section tapered inthe foregoing It is preferred, however, to first form the sheet into a cylindrical tube and subsequently form the tapered corrugations to provide the desired taper of the section.

The corrugations maybe formed in the wall of the cylindrical pipe by rolling or other suitable methods.

To provide a strengthening rim bead at the larger end of the section the edge of the sheet is turned or folded back upon the outside and then the double layer of metal thus produced is formed into two annular corrugations or projecting beads 3 and 4i, as shown most clearly in Fig. 6.' rl`hese beads have been found to provide excellent reenforcement for the section without the necessity7 of using bead cores of wire or rod as is ordinarily the practice. It has been found ordinarily sufcient to merely fold back the edge for a short distance at the smaller end of the section to give the necessary strength and rigidity.

Each pipe section is provided with a pair of holes 5 near the larger end. Near the 1 smaller end a short length of chain 6 is attached by suitable means, such as a rivet, to opposite sides of the tube.

The free end of each chain carries an anchor 7. Anchor 7 may be formed in various ways. For example it may be made by bending a short piece of wire or rod to form a central loop or ring 8 to which a link of chain 6 is attached. The loop is made suficiently small so that the anchor may be passed endwise through hole 5 of the next adjacent section. After being thus inserted the anchor assumes a horizontal position as shown by Figs. t and 7 and the sections are locked together. This coupling allows suiiicient movement between adjacent sections to make the pipe as a whole iiexible. By repassing the anchors endwise through the holes the sections may be disconnected readily.

' According to the preferred method of making the sections the sheet metal is cut or blanked out into substantially rectangular blanks such as shown in Fig. 2. rlhe four corners are removed as shown so that there will not be an excessive thickness of overlap at the ends on the longitudinal seam. The blank is then foldedalong the dotted lines to provide the folds for the end rims. The blank is formed into va straight cylindrical tube as shown in Fig. 3, and the longitudinal edges vare joined together in any desired manner, such as by the ordinary stove pipe lapped joint. The tube is then corrugated with the tapering corrugations which change the cylindrical section into the desired tapering section. The annular cor rugations of the upper bead are then formed in the double thicknessof metal at the larger end. rlhe anchors are ythen attached and the section is completed.

The tapering section thus produced is stronger and more rigid than the ordinary smooth :section of the same gage or thickness of metal. rIhe section is not so easily deformed or iiattened and when flattened is more readily bent back into approximately circular shape. The double corrugated rim bead gives suiiicient strength for ordinary usage and is more quickly and cheaply made than the usual wire cored bead.

By being able .to make the tapering sections from substantially rectangular stock the trouble and expense of providing the customary curved edge blanks are elimi nated.

In cases where the material, such as ensilage for example, is forced -to the distrib.- utor pipe by air pressure the corrugations have an additional advantage. The deeply corrugated smaller ends ofthe sections dt within the smooth larger ends of adjacent sections, providing relatively large air spaces therebetween but allowing the sections to fit tightly together. The air intere mixed with the material can thus readily escape between the sections and the material, being free to a morer or less extent of the air, compacts more closely and a greater amount can be stored in a given space.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

` l. A method of making a pipe section which comprises folding over one'edge of a sheet metal blank to form two parallel adjacent layers of metal, rolling the sheet into a tube having the two parallel layers of metal at one end, andY bending outwardly both layers into a projecting reenforcing bead;

2. A pipe section comprising a sheet metal tube having one edge bent over to form a double layer of metal, a projecting bead formed in the double layer of metal and extending outwardly beyond the pipe, and tapering corrugation's extending longitudinally of the tube from the oase of the bead n tothe other end of the pipe.v

In testimony whereof l hereunto subscribe my name.

GEORGE F. HAUF. 

